Set goals to build agency during challenges

When going through a tough moment, it's easy to feel powerless. And when you feel powerless, your natural inclination will probably be to try to regain control. We sacrifice so much wellness trying to attain and maintain control in life, but most of the time control is more of an illusion than a reality. So instead of control, I want you to pursue agency and self-efficacy. Agency is the sense that you can make your own choices and influence your own thoughts and behavior. Self-efficacy is the belief in your ability to succeed. Together, they will help you feel empowered and increase your resilience. One tool that will help you build agency and thus self-efficacy in your life is goal setting. Setting goals helps you take an active role in your own life. You're not just reacting to whatever happens to you. You're intentionally pointing your compass toward the life that you want to live. To set meaningful, actionable goals. I love the three P's method. The three P's are purpose, process, and progress. I want you to try this with me right now. Grab a pen or get a Word Doc ready. Let's help you get some practice by setting a goal in this moment. The first P is purpose. When setting a goal for yourself, connect it to your values and your larger sense of purpose. Why is achieving this goal important to you? How will it help you move toward whatever it is that you most value in life? Some examples of values are things like achievement, collaboration, autonomy, stability, or meaningful work. If you're not sure what your values are, now is a great time to pause and spend five minutes journaling about what matters to you. I've included a list of common values in the exercise files. The next P is process. Here, I want you to focus your goal on the process, not just the outcome. I can't tell you how many entrepreneurs I've worked with who only focused on exiting their company and completely forgot to acknowledge the thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people that they were helping along the way. While it's great to have an end result in mind, focusing on your journey in addition to your destination is really important. So instead of "I want to get a promotion", maybe you say "I want to develop my leadership skills by taking one leadership course each quarter." A focus on the process puts you in control of your growth. And finally, the third P, progress. Break down your goal into incremental steps. Hitting specific milestones along the way to your greater goal will keep you feeling motivated. So if your goal is to publish a memoir, your milestone might be to write for 30 minutes a day for 15 days in a row. Aim for achievable progress, not audacious or unrealistic progress. Five minutes a day for 15 days is better than 30 minutes one day and then never again. All right. Did you finalize your goal? Take a minute to do that now and set an intention to start on it today, or even before you move to the next movie. And here's one more bonus tip if you're looking to spark action on the goal you set, try telling someone in your life about it for accountability. As you practice setting goals and see how great it feels to achieve them, your resilience will grow naturally as you prove to yourself that you can do hard things and you can create positive change in your life. Don't let obstacles or setbacks derail you from achieving your overarching goal. Remember to focus on what you can control and let go of the rest. And of course, celebrate your wins along the way. More on that in the next video.